The Five Scarves - Dragonkin Return Part 5
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Book 1 of 3, Part 5 of 5) Tenshijima. Location of the Kakusareta Kyuden, former seat of the Kegawa dynasty, and where the Scarves have determined the ringleader resides. But he won't go down easily…
1. Chapter 1

Daybreak, and the Five Scarves are up with the sun, working how to get across to Tenshijima; Rob and Danny are trying to spot a suitable boat to commandeer, either on the shore or on the island.

"I can only see one boat," Rob reports after several minutes searching.

"Same here," Danny confirms.

Rob lowers his sniper scope. "And it's on the island."

Danny lowers his binoculars. "One of us is going to have to swim over."

"Who's our strongest swimmer?"

"Maria!" Danny calls.

Maria dashes over. "What do you want?" she asks with enthusiasm.

"For you to swim over to the island, get that boat, and bring it back here," Danny explains.

Maria looks towards the island, then to Danny; she repeats these actions twice more. "Are you _crazy?_ How far is that?"

"About two miles," Rob answers, using his sniper scope to measure the distance.

Maria shakes her head vigorously. "Yep, you're crazy."

"It'll only take an hour to swim over," Rob assures.

"Plus you love to swim," Danny reminds.

Maria mumbles playful insults under her breath. "…OK," she reluctantly agrees. "But you both owe me _so much ice cream_ when we get home!" Maria slips off her weapons, dress, and shoes; down to only her sports bra and gym shorts, she wades into the water, and sets off on her long swim.

* * *

Ninety minutes later, Maria brings the boat up to shore; her piloting skills are lacking, but she manages to park the boat well enough to load the vehicles.

"I got your boat," Maria greets as she descends from the bridge. "I'm going to find somewhere to nap," she adds with a yawn, descending below deck.

Danny boards the boat and lowers the boarding ramp; Hanna and Rob load the ATVs first, then with Xander get the trikes on board. With the vehicles securely loaded, Danny raises the boarding ramp, then proceeds to the bridge. Hanna, Rob, and Xander disappear below deck; in the cabin, they find Maria curled up on one of the bench seats, fast asleep, purring softly.

"I'll fetch her a blanket," Hanna whispers. She disappears back up to the deck, returning a moment later with a blanket; she lays it gently over Maria, who stirs slightly, then settles and purrs louder. Hanna and Rob then settle together on the other bench seat to snooze; Xander settles in a corner to do the same.

* * *

"Maria," Hanna coaxes softly. "Wake up; we're on the island now."

Maria stirs awake. "Kitty still tired," she mumbles.

"Oh well, guess we'll have to go on our quest without you," Hanna replies.

Maria leaps up, throwing the blanket to the floor; she dashes up to the deck to retrieve and put on her dress, shoes and weapons. "Hurry up slowpokes!" she calls below deck impatiently.

"You were right," Rob admits.

"Aren't I always?" Hanna flirts back. "Come on, we've got a mission to complete."


	2. Chapter 2

The journey through the dense woodland that covers Tenshijima was long and arduous; it takes the rest of the morning to get the ATVs and trikes through the thick undergrowth. Eventually, the Scarves happen across a large clearing. In its centre is the opulent palace; the overgrowth in the surrounding gardens show that the palace has been abandoned for some time.

"Wow!" Maria gasps as she breaks through to the clearing.

"It's certainly impressive," Hanna agrees.

"It's the Kakusareta Kyuden," Danny explains once the entire group is at the edge of the clearing. "According to the historical record, or at least as much as Helms was able to study, it was the seat of the Kegawa dynasty that first founded the Gotoshi."

"So what happened to them?" Xander asks.

"The cities rebelled and overthrew the royal dynasty, then entered a period of civil war over ownership of Tenshijima," Danny continues. "The war ended about fifty years ago with island ownership still unresolved; since then, the Gotoshi has reunited politically, but tensions still run high over this island."

"Can we be sure this is where Serpentine is hiding though?" Hanna asks.

"The army of robots heading this way seems to be a good indicator," Rob answers. The advancing horde is led by five dozen green crab-like robots covered in spikes; two dozen green-and-orange mobile turrets follow.

"Cacteons and Turretus? Is that all?" Hanna grins in anticipation. "This isn't even a warm-up!" she cries, leaping off her ATV, drawing her nunchaku and charging the robots directly; her friends follow close behind, their weapons also drawn.

The Cacteons are easy to dispatch; within seconds, their ranks are halved by a blend of nunchaku, sai, ninjato, hanbo, and tonfa. But before the Scarves can destroy the rest, the Turretus open fire; the salvo of mortar rounds scatters the Scarves, forcing them into a short retreat.

"What was that about a warm-up?" Rob teases Hanna; the wall of mortar rounds is slowly pushing the Scarves back to the treeline.

"You're right; I'm not even _slightly_ out of breath!" Hanna retorts. "Spread and flank!"

Hanna and Rob break right while Maria and Danny break left, leaving Xander in the middle; the tactic succeeds in diverting the fire of the majority of Turretus. With the rate of fire greatly reduced, Xander charges the Cacteons once more; the shells he cannot dodge he deflects into the ranks of the Cacteons.

Simultaneously, Maria and Hanna duck and weave their way into the rearmost ranks of the Turretus; Danny and Rob assault the forward ranks. Maria's speed and agility gets her among the enemy first; she destroys four Turretus before the others are close enough to attack. Hanna is next in, taking out two in quick succession; her progress is then slowed by her lack of a bladed weapon.

Rob and Danny join the fray a second later. Rob's sai make brief work of Turretus wiring and joints, and Danny's hanbo proves effective at disabling the turrets themselves. He's almost taken out by a Turretus detonating due to a catastrophic backfire, but he doesn't slow down; he simply rolls with the explosion, recovering to smash another Turretus as he returns to his feet.

Less than two minutes have elapsed since the Scarves counter-attacked; Maria extracts her tanto from the sparking remains of the last Turretus as Xander crushes the last two Cacteons into the topsoil. All five Scarves scan their surroundings for any further attack; nothing is coming.

"All clear; stand down," Danny reports.

"I do hope Serpentine hasn't already played his best hand," Hanna sighs. "That was over far too quickly."

"We'll face more inside, I bet," Rob assures.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hanna grins in anticipation.

"Let's make sure we're all in one piece first," Rob winks. "Danny? Xander? Maria? You all OK?"

"My fur's a little singed, but other than that, I'm fine," Danny reports. The others notice the fur down his left flank is slightly blackened; their concern is forgotten when they see the roots are still ochre.

"I'm also fine," Xander adds. "My tonfa, less so. Still useable though."

"I'm all oily and icky! I'll _never_ get the stains out of this dress!" Maria exclaims. The others enjoy a brief yet hearty laugh at the lynx's complaint; Maria can't help but giggle with them.

"Sounds like we're good to go!" Rob declares.

"Way ahead of you!" Hanna calls back; she's already halfway between the wreckage of the battle and the palace's outer wall. The others quickly catch up; together, they enter the Kyuden.


	3. Chapter 3

Inside the Kyuden, the Scarves encounter sporadic pockets of resistance; none delays the Scarves more than a minute. Among the Cacteons and Turretus, there are also fire-spitting Magmeons, crystal-firing Sentinels, and awkwardly placed DNA Cannons; while most of the robots were dispatched equally by all five Scarves, the Cannons were often left to Maria, as her speed allowed her to reach each Cannon and disable it between firings more reliably.

After fifteen minutes, the Scarves break into the grand ballroom. As soon as they enter, a metal door slams shut behind them; the sound is repeated as every other egress is slammed shut in the same manner.

"TSSSHAHAHAHAHA! You'll never make it out alive!" a voice cackles from the balcony; he is hidden by the shadows, but it's just possible to make out the form of Serpentine.

"Your robots are no match for us!" Hanna retorts defiantly.

"Is that so?" Serpentine asks defiantly.

"You got something better?" Hanna replies. "Don't make me laugh!"

"For that, you shall face my Hunter Snakes!" Serpentine cackles.

The floor begins to shake; a moment later, five mechanical snakes burst through the floor and into the room. They curl into circles and fly towards the Scarves, spinning like sawblades; the Scarves scatter. The snakes uncurl; each one selects a target Scarf and begins their attack, spitting fireballs as they pursue.

"Remember Lilac's advice!" Rob yells, rolling under the snake heading directly for him. "Go for the heads!"

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Maria counters, dancing out the way of the fireballs. "I don't wanna get burnt!"

"Best way to kill 'em!" Rob yells back, raking his sai down the length of his snake; they barely scratch the surface.

"I got a better idea!" Hanna interjects. "Maria! Criss-cross!" she commands, turning to lead her snake on a chase; Maria does the same. Matching speed, they run the length of the ballroom. Two-thirds of the way down, they turn forty-five degrees so their paths cross; Maria speeds up slightly to avoid colliding with her friend. A second after crossing paths, the snakes chasing them collide; the sound of rending metal echoes through the room, soon followed by the loud crash of the wreckage slamming into the far wall.

"GAAAH!" Serpentine cries ruefully; he flees the ballroom, retreating to his command post in the throne room.

"A little help here!" Danny cries in desperation; his snake has him pinned in a corner, and is preparing to go in for the kill. Maria dashes over, leaps atop the snake, scrambles to the head, and sinks the full length of her ninjato point-first right through the centre; the snake falls to the floor with a crash.

Hanna runs to assist Rob; she attempts to distract the snake long enough for Rob to attack. The distraction fails, but Rob manages to sink his sai into the underside of his snake's head; clinging on as hard as he can, Rob is taken for a ride. Slowly but surely, he moves round the head, using his sai as an ice-climber would use ice axes; once on top, he makes short work of the snake's circuitry. The snake drops suddenly as its systems fail; Rob bails before the snake crash-lands, rolling several times before coming to a rest.

Xander's snake is the last to be defeated; he dodges yet another lunge and grabs hold of the tail tip segment as it flies past. After being towed across the room, Xander finally brings the snake to a halt; with an almighty heave, he swings the snake over his head and slams it into the floor, where it dies in a shower of sparks.

The silence after the battle is broken only by the heavy breathing of the Five Scarves and the sparking and crackling from the dead snakes.

"Everyone OK?" Rob asks; the others respond affirmative. "Good. Now, where did Serpentine go? And how do we get out of this room?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Maria, you're small enough; can you see if those tunnels lead anywhere?" Danny requests, indicating one of the holes the Hunter Snakes burst through.

"OK," Maria sighs reluctantly; she heads to the nearest hole to her. "It's a bit of a squeeze," she observes. "Do we have a rope to pull me out again if I get stuck?"

Danny looks around; he spies some sturdy cables among the wreckage. Within moments, he's fashioned a makeshift rope from several lengths. "That should do the job," he comments, handing one end to Maria.

"OK, here I go." Maria, holding the end of the cable firmly, drops into the tunnel feet-first; twenty feet down, she reaches the end. "Dead end!" she calls up to Danny.

"Serpentine must have buried them then patched the floor," Danny concludes as he hauls Maria back out of the tunnel.

Once out and standing, Maria tries in vain to brush the dirt off her dress; unfortunately it's mixed with the oil from the battle in the gardens. "I'm so icky-sticky!" she sighs, exasperated.

While Danny and Maria were exploring the tunnel, Hanna had wandered over to one of the doors; her ear to the steel, she taps several parts of the door. "Can we make an explosive from the snakes?" she thinks aloud.

"The doors are solid steel," Rob informs.

"And only an eighth-inch thick," Hanna counters. "With enough force, we can blow right through them."

"Hmm…" Rob thinks hard for a few moments. "OK, here's the plan: scour the wreckage and get all the fuel tanks and battery packs; these things were spitting fire, they'll have some sort of liquid fuel store. Take all the tanks and batteries you find over to that door." He points to the one Hanna had been inspecting. "Take some of the casings too, so I can direct the blast. Once that's done, while I'm rigging the bomb, build some sort of shield from the rest of the casings. Doesn't have to be sturdy, it just has to deflect shrapnel and flame. So try not to leave any holes."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Rob makes the final wiring checks. Satisfied his improvised bomb will work, he takes up the detonation wires; taking extreme care not to let the exposed ends touch, he retreats and joins his friends behind their makeshift blast shield. "Be warned: when this goes, it'll be loud and violent," he warns; his friends hunker down and brace. "OK… three… two… one…" Rob touches the exposed wires together; they spark as the circuit is completed.

The detonation is deafening. A roasting pressure wave rolls over the blast shield, penetrating a couple of tiny gaps; less than a second later, the shield is rocked by the impact of a wall of shrapnel.

Once the rain of shrapnel ends, the Scarves peek over the top of their blast shield; Rob's improvised explosive hasn't just taken out the door, it's taken out quite a bit of wall too.

"You were only supposed to blow the bloody door down!" Hanna exclaims. "Can anyone smell singed fur?" she adds a moment later.

"Now you mention it, my tail feels like it's-" Rob starts, twisting to inspect his tail; he stops suddenly when he sees the blackened remains. "Ah. That would explain why it feels like I set fire to it. Excuse me a moment," he requests, walking away from the group; once fifteen feet away, he unleashes a great howl of pain.

Hanna jogs over to comfort Rob. "We've still got plenty of the Magister's elixir; you'll get your tail back," she assures.

"I know," Rob replies with a mix of smile and grimace. "At least it's cauterised," he adds, reaching to touch his tail; as soon as he tries to bend it, it falls off and shatters on the floor.

Hanna can't help bit giggle; Rob fixes her with an unamused look. "Sorry," she murmurs, bringing herself under control.

"Come on," Rob sighs. "Let's get our mission finished; the sooner we do so, the sooner I can grow a new tail."


	5. Chapter 5

Fifteen minutes later, the Five Scarves find Serpentine's command room; the throne room of the palace is smaller than the grand ballroom, but only just. At the far end is an ornate raised dais; where the throne would have been is a large desk with radio equipment and stacks of papers haphazardly arranged.

"This must be where he was running the whole operation," Danny concludes. "The question is, where is the viper himself?"

" _No-one destroys my Hunter Snakes and gets away with it!_ " Serpentine yells, dropping from the rafters, firing his twin pistols; the Scarves scatter from under the hailstorm of energy bullets, diving for cover behind the pillars that flank the room.

"It's no use, snake-man!" Hanna yells. "Surrender!"

"Never!" Serpentine retorts.

"You're outnumbered five-to-one!" Danny counters, peeking out from behind his pillar. "You don't stand a chance!"

Serpentine unleashes a barrage of bullets at Danny; Danny ducks back behind the pillar. "I have you pinned!" the viper cackles. "There is no escape! Come out and fight!"

"That's rich, coming from you!" Rob mocks. "You couldn't even defeat three kids; what hope do you have against five veteran Scarves?"

"Then why are you hiding?" Serpentine challenges.

The Five Scarves all share a common thought: _He's got a point._

Maria is the first to break cover. She sprints across the throne room at top speed; Serpentine fires both pistols at her. However, he doesn't lead the target; every shot flies an inch behind the lynx. With Maria providing a distraction, Danny is next out; exploiting his position just outside of Serpentine's field of vision, he sends one of Serpentine's pistols flying with a swing of his hanbo before sprinting away, the other way to Maria. Serpentine switches fire to Danny; a shot catches Danny's calf; he tumbles to the floor.

Serpentine is unable to follow up with a kill-shot though; Hanna has already broken cover and closed the gap. Looping a nunchaku around the viper's mechanical arm, she yanks Serpentine's aim wide; the shots bounce harmlessly off the floor and pillars, allowing Danny to scramble into cover. Hanna then releases her hold on Serpentine's arm; she spins behind the viper, aiming to distract him so Rob can attack.

However, the plan doesn't quite work; Serpentine counters by taking a firm hold of Hanna's tail. With a harsh yank, he pulls the vixen off-balance; Hanna yelps in pain, falling to the floor. Serpentine then swings Hanna round him, releasing her tail at the end of the arc; Hanna flies across the floor, slamming hard into the wall. Heavily dazed, she attempts to get up; however, her balance is destroyed, and she collapses.

Despite Hanna's distraction failing, Rob still gets his opportunity. Fuelled by anger, he charges up behind Serpentine; leaping onto the serpent's tail, he sinks his sai deep into the mechanical shoulders. As Rob hacks away at Serpentine's arms, Xander, having pulled Danny into cover, rushes out to help Hanna; he's beaten to the prone vixen by Maria, who is already desperately trying to move her friend. Together, they get the vulnerable vixen into cover; Maria wastes no time dashing back out, ninjato drawn, bellowing a war cry, with a look of murder in her eyes.

Rob looks up at the sound of Maria's war cry; shocked at the murderous glint in her eyes, he leaps off Serpentine to intercept the lynx. "We're taking him alive!" he cries.

Maria tries to halt just shy of Rob, but she's going too fast; she slams into the hare, knocking them both flat. "He hurt Hanna!" she cries, scrambling to get up.

Rob pulls Maria back down, holding her tightly, preventing her attacking the viper. "I know he did!" he pleads. "But we have to take him alive! Please, calm down!"

Maria continues to struggle for a moment more; soon though, she calms down and relents. "OK, we take him alive," she hisses. "But that won't stop me hurting him."

"Good." Rob lets Maria go; they stand together, and turn to restrain- "Wait, where'd he go?" Rob asks; all that's left of Serpentine is his mechanical arms, sparking as they die.

"Where'd who go?" Xander asks, emerging from cover.

"Who do you think?" Rob snaps.

The arms start beeping.

"Bomb!" Rob yells; he, Xander, and Maria take cover with the insensible Hanna.

They make it just in time; the arms detonate violently, scattering shrapnel throughout the throne room and leaving a smoking three-foot wide crater in the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

"Xander, stay with Hanna and Danny," Rob commands. "Maria, with me."

"I'll protect Hanna," Danny offers, limping over to his friends. "There's no telling what Serpentine will throw at you; having Xander with you could prove advantageous."

Rob thinks for a moment. "OK, we'll do that." He turns to Hanna. "Hanna, Danny's going to stay with you while we find Serpentine; are you going to be OK?"

"Everything's spinning," Hanna mumbles. "Or am I spinning?" she asks a moment later, confused. "And do we have any sick bags?"

"She'll be fine," Danny assures. "I'll keep her talking. Go finish the mission."

"Maria, Xander, let's go," Rob sighs.

Weapons out, Rob, Maria, and Xander creep out of cover, ready for a sudden attack; aside from Danny's soft voice and Hanna's befuddled murmurings, the throne room is silent.

"I don't like this," Rob growls softly. "Something's not right."

"I can hear something," Maria whispers; holding her hand up to silence her friends, she focusses on the sound, listening intently, her ears twitching as the sound shifts. "This way." Maria heads towards the door to the left of the dais.

Outside the throne room, the trio finds themselves in a corridor; at the other end is daylight. Xander and Rob can now both hear the sounds Maria is hearing; they accelerate down the corridor, arriving on the balcony at the back of the palace.

"There he is!" Maria exclaims, spotting Serpentine fleeing into the treeline in a compact vehicle.

"No way can we catch him now," Rob admits.

"Screw that!" Maria snaps. "He's not getting away from me!" Maria leaps over the edge of the balcony side and swiftly climbs down the palace wall. Once close enough, she leaps to the ground; landing with a roll, she immediately sprints after Serpentine.

"We better get down there," Rob commands; he and Xander retreat back into the corridor to find a way down.

A few minutes later, having found a spiral staircase, they emerge once more at ground level. "Where did they get to?" Rob asks rhetorically.

Xander's ears prick. "Something's coming," he warns.

Seconds later, a petrified lynx bursts out of the treeline at top speed. Maria is pursued closely by Serpentine at the helm of a massive robotic crab; the crab is armed with twin hammers with heads larger than Xander, and twin electrified tentacles twice the length of a Hunter Snake.

Maria slides to a halt between her friends; she turns, ninjato drawn, ready to attack. "How are we gonna beat that thing?" she asks; she is unable to hide the fear-induced tremor in her voice.

"I don't know," Rob answers, his voice wavering too. "But we'll find a way."


	7. Chapter 7

"Your mission ends here!" Serpentine cackles.

"For once, you're right!" Rob retorts. "Scarves, _attack!_ "

Rob and Xander break off to the sides, aiming to outflank Serpentine while Maria charges directly; her greater speed and agility just about keeps her out of the tentacles' grip, and the hammers can't swing in enough to be a risk. Four times, Maria is nearly snared by a tentacle; the third time an arc of electricity tears through the skirt of her dress. It doesn't slow her down though; soon, she's close to the bases of the tentacles. Leaping up, she swings to sever one from the Robocrab; the instant her ninjato touches the tentacle, she receives a painful electric shock. The oil on her dress smouldering, she lands heavily; instinct keeps her away from the tentacles, the rolling extinguishing the oil.

Rob and Xander fare better; Serpentine's wild hammer swings almost flatten them both, but they successfully outflank the Robocrab. Xander leaps onto the middle of the three legs and immediately sinks his claws into the cabling inside the knee joint; his reward is a face-full of oil and sparks. As the leg fails, Xander leaps to the next, and repeats his assault.

Rob leaps onto the other middle leg; he elects to scale the leg and scramble onto the body. He nearly loses his balance when the Robocrab lurches to one side; Xander has now taken out two legs, destabilising the machine. Rob recovers his balance; a second later, he's over the cockpit, attempting to break into it with his sai.

While Rob attacks the cockpit access, Maria recovers; with the Robocrab listing, she dashes out from under the machine. The tentacles resume their attempts to catch her; she leads them towards the still-intact legs, weaving around them. One of the tentacles follows her through the legs, getting tangled; the other intercepts the lynx the other side, catching her and paralysing her with a vicious electric shock.

Xander takes out the third leg. The Robocrab lurches violently; the flank drops, digging into the ground. Rob is nearly thrown clear by the impact; hanging on desperately to the sai he just sunk into the cockpit door, the other flies out of his hand, skittering away off the bodywork. He recovers quickly; Xander joins him a second later. With a swift signal, Rob commands Xander to open the cockpit; Xander gets a grip where Rob has torn the metal; with a great heave, he wrenches the door off its hinges. Rob drops into the cockpit, slamming Serpentine's head onto the console; he then destroys the controls with his sai.

Disabled, the Robocrab falls silent and shuts down.

"No! This cannot be!" Serpentine wails; his attempt to escape is foiled by Xander pinning him to the floor.

"Hold him there while I check on Maria," Rob commands. He leaps out of the cockpit and looks around; he spots the lifeless form of the lynx just a few feet from the defeated machine. Rob scrambles towards his friend, sliding down the shell, landing beside her. "Maria?" he asks, fearing the worst.

"Did we win?" Maria mumbles.

Rob breathes a sigh of relief. "Yeah, we won," he answers. "Can you move?"

Maria rolls over lazily onto her back; as she does so, the residual electric charge in her fur causes a few minor spasms as it dissipates. "I feel like an overcharged battery," she sighs; she sniffs, screwing her nose in disgust. "I smell icky."

"Looks like you got a bit singed," Rob informs.

"Yay," Maria replies sarcastically.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, with Serpentine locked inside a scratch-built cage made from parts of the Robocrab, Rob, Maria, and Xander are joined by Hanna and Danny helping each other walk; Danny's limp is less severe, but still pronounced, and Hanna is unsteady but otherwise lucid.

"Seems we missed the party," Hanna quips as Danny helps her sit next to Rob; Danny then sits beside the couple. "How is everyone?"

"Oily," Xander replies.

"Tired," Rob sighs.

Maria looks over her patchy electrical burns. "Tingly," she murmurs. "Also, my dress has a draught," she quips, referencing the numerous holes in that particular garment.

"Good thing we've got plenty of elixir," Hanna smiles reassuringly. "Someone should go and get it."

Everyone looks to Xander; with a sigh, a smile, and a bemused shake of the head, he gets up and heads off to retrieve the Magister's elixir.


	8. Chapter 8

The Scarves took the rest of the day to recover and heal, departing at dawn the next day using a transport helicopter Xander found beside the Kyuden; by early evening, they arrive at Shang Tu, and head straight for the Royal Palace. The Magister, satisfied that the threat from the Jade Alliance has been neutralised, rewards the Scarves as promised; he includes a bonus for the apprehension of Serpentine.

* * *

While the Scarves report to the Magister, the five Grand Masters assemble in the throne room of the Kakusareta Kyuden; they stand before the cloaked figure pacing the dais.

"I am glad you are all able to attend," the cloaked figure begins. "I understand some of you were treated less than well by my adversaries."

"Seven hours I was hanging from that tree," Kaede spits. "That infernal vixen cracked my rib, then left me to bake in the desert sun."

"I can assure you Ms Himura, you will get an opportunity for revenge," the cloaked figure continues.

"I want my turn with her too!" Tsubaki demands.

"That I must deny," the cloaked figure states. "I want her to remain alive, after all."

"But-" Tsubaki begins to argue.

"Once my target has been achieved, you will get your chance," the cloaked figure promises. "Until then, be patient, otherwise I won't hold up my end of our deal."

"Fine," Tsubaki spits.

"I fear we are straying from the reason we're all here," Hideyoshi interrupts. "And that is the kidnap of Hanna Skarlett."

"Thank you for returning us to the subject at hand," the cloaked figure commends. "With Serpentine now incarcerated in the Royal Palace in Shang Tu, our next step is the removal of our most dangerous enemy. She is to be kidnapped and brought straight here, where she will be kept in my dungeon; how you kidnap her is up to you."

"What about the others?" Ryoichi asks.

"They will come of their own accord to save their friend," the cloaked figure assures. "And that will keep them out of the way at just the right time."

"Forgive me for asking captain," Chika interrupts, "but I don't see how Serpentine being held in Shang Tu is to our benefit?"

"The Elemental Crystals are secured within the Royal Palace," the cloaked captain informs. "Serpentine is now our snake on the inside; when the time comes, he will retrieve the Crystals for us. And once I have them in my possession, I will be able to provide you the power I have promised."


	9. Epilogue

Three days after returning from Gotoshi; it's a warm and sunny morning in Rage Ravine, and Hanna and Rob are taking full advantage of the good weather, sunbathing in swimwear on the balcony.

"It's great to be able to relax after such a long mission," Hanna sighs; she sounds half-asleep.

"I give it maybe one more day before you're itching for some action," Rob teases.

"You know me too well," Hanna chuckles; the couple falls into a comfortable silence.

"Oh, nearly forgot; we need to take those communicators to HQ for upgrades," Rob adds a moment later.

"That would mean moving," Hanna murmurs. "And dealing with that infernal husky," she adds a moment later.

"S'alright, I don't mind going by myself," Rob assures. "I've got another errand to run anyway."

"What errand?" Hanna inquires.

"Now, that would be telling," Rob chuckles. _But you can probably guess what it is._

"Don't let me keep you then," Hanna replies, grinning broadly. _I suppose I can let you off not spending our anniversary together if you're going to be asking me_ that _question later… hard to believe it's been four years since our first date… the best four years of my life._

"I'll be back in time for dinner," Rob assures, kissing Hanna before heading into the bedroom; ten minutes later, he departs on his ATV, heading to Shang Tu via Scarves HQ.

* * *

An hour later, Hanna, still sunbathing, hears a faint rustle in the treeline. _Hmm?_ Sitting up, she scans the treeline; nothing seems out of place- _Wait, what's that glare?_ Suddenly, a dart strikes Hanna in the thigh. _Ow! What the…_ She pulls the dart out of her thigh, inspecting it carefully. _This looks like a tranq round… Oh, fuh…_ Hanna collapses as the powerful and fast-acting sedative takes hold.

* * *

Early evening, and Rob arrives home; holding a small box behind his back, he enters the house. _Oddly quiet; maybe she's still sunbathing?_ Rob heads up to the balcony; Hanna isn't there. _Where is she?_ As Rob is about to head back into the house, he notices a note pinned under a stone on Hanna's chair. Intrigued, he extracts the note from under the stone, and reads.

The small box clatters to the balcony, splitting open; the engagement ring inside skitters across the decking.

* * *

Hanna wakes from the sedation; opening her eyes slowly, all she can see is the stone walls and floor of the small room she is in. _Where on Avalice am I? And why do I feel so cold?_ As her senses begin to return, she tries to move; she can't. Snapping to full alertness, Hanna takes stock of her situation; she is wearing only her swimwear, and is held immobile by a metal harness clamped around her ankles, knees, wrists, and neck; her tail has been strapped to her back. The harness itself is chained to the wall by a chain so short Hanna is unable to tilt more than a few degrees, and trying to turn her head proves futile; the harness includes a neck brace that also holds her jaw shut. But the worst feeling comes when she notices the key to the sole padlock holding the harness secure; it's taped to the harness itself, just out of reach of her hands.

"You should have known I'd be back," a voice greets, entering the cell.

Hanna looks up to the voice; the sight of Captain Aquila Kawaguchi turns her blood to ice.

"Don't be scared, little girl," Aquila mocks. "I'm not here to kill you; in fact, I want you to live. After all, you did say you wanted to hang out with one of my friends…"

Aquila moves to one side to make way for Kaede Himura to enter the cell; Hanna squeaks with fear at the sight of the pika's malevolent grin. "Well, hello my friend!" Kaede purrs menacingly. "How the tables have turned!"

"I'll leave you to it," Aquila declares. "Just make sure she stays alive and in one piece," he instructs as he leaves the cell.

"Aye, sir," Kaede promises; she turns back to Hanna and unveils a roll of duct tape. "Now, let's have some fun!" she grins malevolently, bearing down on the vixen.

Hanna's muffled screams of pain echo throughout the dungeon.


End file.
